Inclusive
by JeiC
Summary: Can't have one without the other.


Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts is still owned by Square Enix and Disney. I'm just someone with an overactive imagination that writes silly stories.  
Warnings: angst, yaoi

**Inclusive**

by JeiC

* * *

It was hot, humid, and hazy – definitely not the greatest combination of weather. Destiny Island and the surrounding areas had been suffering from this weather pattern for a couple of weeks already with no end in sight. What made it worse was that it felt like it was only getting hotter, and there was only so much time that one could spend in the water before one became waterlogged. Most people huddled inside their air conditioned homes or businesses. Even the most daring of people who came to this little island wouldn't come out to play.

Which was fine by me, I didn't really want to talk to anyone anyway, but all the same, I wasn't alone either. Glancing down at my sleeping companion, I wonder how he can manage to sleep through this. Both of us, dressed in just our swim trunks, found some relief from the heat under the bridge that connects the island to the small piece of land where the bent papou fruit tree resides.

And Sora is sleeping. One would think that after spending a year unconscious, he'd have a severe case of insomnia, but I suppose that's what makes the spiky-haired brunette special…or lazy, not quite sure which yet. I'll give him credit that he did go through quite a lot right after waking up.

Feeling another bead of sweat start its decent down my face, I don't bother wiping it away. More will only follow anyway. Smearing it across my face and on my hand will only make me feel hotter.

Leaning forward, loosely curling my arms around my legs and resting my forehead on my knees, I mentally kick myself for having forgotten a hair tie. Not that I really noticed much difference when I had my long hair pulled up in a ponytail – it still clung to the back of my neck.

Glancing back at my friend, I almost envy his gravity-defying spikes. All I know is I'm glad I wasn't stuck with hair that stuck out in every direction, but I'm not about to cut mine either. As many times as Kairi and Selphie have tried to con me into letting them play with my hair, its length is as much of a reminder of what I did as the mark on the inside of my wrist.

Returning to resting my forehead on my knees, I pick at my armband. I know I'm freaking people out with the fact that I wear it all the time even when it's this hot. I don't care. Hell, Sora wears that silver crown necklace all the time and no one says anything to him.

Yeah, I know, that's completely different. I've been told it looks like I'm hiding something…and I am. I'm hiding my shame. Hiding the fact that I'm forever tied to the darkness. Hiding what kind of monster I've become.

If I could have hidden forever in the darkness, I think I would have. I know I would have been content watching Sora and the others from the shadows. However, this one dozing next to me wouldn't have that.

I still feel guilty for the spiky-haired brunette even having to set foot in the darkness with me. It was a place that he never should have been…his light is too bright for that. It nearly killed me to hear his optimism waver.

Speaking of guilt trips, I think I'm going to give my friend here one when he wakes up. Drags me all the way out to the island because he thinks that we don't spend enough time together and the guy falls asleep. I know he's spent a lot of time with Kairi lately so that Roxas and Namine can be together, but am I that much of a bore to him?

I wonder if he's aware of the rumors about him and our female friend getting together. It was something that we all knew would happen at some point…it was just a matter of when.

Heh…I feel like I'm making no sense. Maybe the heat has finally gotten to me. Tilting my head back, I stare at the underside of the wooden bridge. Hands come up and cover my eyes, "Sora, it's too hot to play games like this," I comment as I feel him curl up against my back. The kid has been very tactile with me since we got back…it's as if to confirm that I'm not a figment of his imagination.

"I can't decide if I liked you better with the blindfold. You haven't seemed to lose that cold, mysterious air about you though…even as exposed as you currently are."

The chills that voice sent through me, made me forget about the heat. "Bold words, Roxas."

Finally hands slip away from my eyes and he backs away, allowing me to turn to look at the blonde. Shifting his position to sit next to me, he looks at the water, "I suppose I should apologize for my other. He was trying to figure out a way to talk to you about something, but he fell asleep."

Raising an eyebrow at my unusual companion, I jibe, "So you figured that you'd keep me company instead?"

Tilting his head to the side, contemplating his words, the former Nobody responds, "I suppose you could say that."

"Considering I'm the one who forced you to rejoin with Sora, I'm surprised that you're willing to talk to me at all." Turning away, I look at the waves coming up the beach not far from where we are sitting. What I did was inexcusable. Hell, I was the one who caused Roxas to exist in the first place, so the fact that the spiky-haired blonde is sitting next to me now is a reminder of all the mistakes I made. It was just a complete cascade of failures from the moment I opened the door: Kairi's heart hiding within Sora, me forcing Sora to release his heart in order to free Kairi's, Roxas existing from the short period of time when Sora's mind and body were separated from his heart, fighting Roxas to get back his half of Sora...where will this end?

I can feel intense blue eyes staring at me, "Things changed when I rejoined with my heart. I guess I should be thanking you for that."

Grunting something resembling a noncommittal response, I go back to contemplating the boy beside me. It almost hurts to try and think about them as the same person yet different people at the same time. Sora and Roxas can't be whole without the other, but their personalities are somewhat conflicting. Sora's nearly unending source of optimism and cheerful outgoing personality contrasts sharply with Roxas' more pessimistic, darker, introverted tendencies. When the Roxas was placed in the Twilight Town simulation, he seemed to try to act somewhat like Sora, but his natural personality and lack of having a heart I guess had more control over him. I wonder if he misses the friends he had there.

It took me too long to realize that a hand was ghosting across my back before it rested on where I had taken a hit that was meant for my best friend. Trying to retain my composure, I simply smack the hand away, not wanting to show weakness in front of anyone. "I had a feeling that it still hurt. My other is worried about you. It'd kill him if you disappeared again, and I would take it personally if you did that."

"I'm fine and I'm not running away," I growl at him, but before I can even think to say something further, my armband is pulled down and the mark on my wrist shoved in my face.

"So this is okay?" he pauses to see if maybe I have a response, but I can't get the words to come, "Please, Riku, don't be so surprised that I can smell the darkness on you and most of it concentrated here." Looking at the partial Heartless symbol on my wrist, I fight down the urge to throw up. That was the same symbol I wore when I changed forms in Castle Oblivion. It's the same one I wore when I fought Sora, before Ansem, or rather, Xenahort's Heartless, took control of my body completely. "You're a lot like Axel – a crazy, self-sacrificing bastard. The only difference is that you don't talk as much as he did. That and I don't have to worry about catching fire."

Tearing my eyes away to look directly in those brilliant blue eyes, I want to ask about The Flurry of Dancing Flames, but his gaze locks me in place. The blindfold would be good right about now. There's mischief in those eyes as well, and I can't even begin to guess what is going on in his mind.

Everything seems to move in slow motion as Roxas pulls my captured arm towards his face. Glancing at me out of the corner of his eye, I can only gape at him as he traces the outline of the symbol with his tongue. My mind kicking in a moment later, I rip my arm away from him, "What the hell are you doing?"

While I push my armband back into place, I stare at the spiky-haired blonde, waiting for an explanation. "Following my heart," is the answer I received, "My other is too much of a coward to act upon his feelings for you. He has been trying to tell you how he feels since he found you again. I kind of got tired of waiting for him."

Looking away, I focus on my feet. I can't say that I hadn't thought about Sora that way, but he's going to get together with Kairi, right? The prince always gets the princess, or at least that's how the story normally goes. "What about Axel?" He had been close with Organization XIII's number VIII.

Out of my peripheral vision, I see him shrug. "Things might be different if we both had our own hearts. I can't deny what we had was something special, but he's gone and I have to accept that. I just wish I was strong enough to have taken control so I could have said goodbye. However, while I don't exactly share Sora's memories, I do share his heart, and you even noted to him about how he just lives life by following his heart."

Silence follows…it's a lot for me to take in, but I voice the question that I need to ask, "What about Namine? Everyone thinks that Sora and Kairi are a couple."

The answer I get is laughter. Once he calms himself down, the blonde responds, "Yeah, I guess he is a bit clueless. Even watching the world through Sora's eyes, I can see it, but that's not the truth. Namine and I are friends, and she wishes that she could be your friend as well. Sora has actually been going to Kairi trying to get advice of what to do about his feelings for you."

Covering the unease on my part, I toss out, "He could just say something. It's not like him to tip-toe around an issue."

I'm not prepared for the yank on my shoulder, forcing me flat onto my back and the former Nobody sitting on my hips in a rather awkward position. "Sora's only afraid of you running away again. I, on the other hand, am not going to worry about it."

Feeling hands slide up my chest, I quickly warn, "Roxas…you don't want to be doing this."

Leaning down so that our noses barely touched, the spiky-haired blonde smirked, "Sorry, Riku. You get me along with Sora. Only thing is that I got to you first." Strangely soft lips keep me from saying anything further, and I mentally kick myself for responding to his kiss.

It's still so hard to think of them as both the same and also different people, but if it means being close to Sora, I suppose I can learn to love Roxas as well. In the end, perhaps I'm the one that is sleeping on the beach, dreaming all of this.

* * *

Fin  
August 2007  
by JeiC  
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Author's notes: This is dedicated to Sukunai Kitsune, who is a very close friend of mine. Happy Birthday, girl! I tried to incorporate some mention of AkuRoku and SoRiku along with the RikuRoku for you. You know I'm a SoRiku fan, but you're seriously starting to turn me into a RikuRoku fan. One of these days, we should do that cosplay photoshoot we've talked about.

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End file.
